Often regarded as the most colourful and grandest cultural melees in Sri Lanka the “Festival of the Tooth” is no ordinary religious procession in the island of Sri Lanka. Held annually during the months of July/August this larger than life display of performance art forms is a highlight in the country’s tourist calendar each year. Attracting visitors from around the world the Esala Perahera as it is locally known takes centre stage in the country’s hill capital Kandy and is one of the oldest cultural processions in the nation’s history.
Hosting a monumental cultural display each year the Esala Perahera is a Buddhist festival at heart and commences with the Esala Full Moon Poya Day in July and culminates with the Nikini Poya Day in August. Having taken place in the same manner at the same venue since 3rd century B.C it is in fact a joining together of the Dalada Perahera and the Esala Perahera in an ancient ritual to appeal to the deities for sufficient rainfall. Celebrated with great pomp and pageantry the annual showcase sees the participation of elaborately clad elephants and local dancers, traditional Kandyan dances, fire displays, whip dances and other folk performances that are part of no other procession in the island.
Starting from the date of the Kap Situveema during which a sapling from a jack tree is planted in the four central Hindu temples of the region the Esala Perahara appeals to four deities namely Pattini, Vishnu, Katharagama and Natha. The Devale processions take place for five nights in each Hindu Temple following the planting ceremony and the Kumbal Perahera kicks off on the 6th night. The Kumbal Perahera takes place on the next 5 nights till all the Devale peraheras combine at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic where the holy tooth relic of Lord Buddha himself is contained. A replica of the sacred tooth is placed on a ceremonial elephant known as the Maligawa Athaa as a procession from the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic leads the remaining four parades from the Hindu temples.
The Randoli Perahera thus takes centre stage for the following five nights till it culminates with the Day Perahera as well as the Diya Kepeema.
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Thanuja Silva is a travel writer who writes under the pen name Auburn Silver. She has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world. Google+
